Disclaimer: The legal rights to the Harry Potter books, characters, and locations belong to J. K. Rowling, and the legal rights to the movies belong to Warner Bros. Studios. I own nothing here. I claim only the story idea as my intellectual property based off of Rowling's work, and I seek no financial compensation. I only seek to produce some smiles among the fans.

Rating: T (PG-13-equivalent) for a moment of suggested consensual teenage rooftop sex (it's OK; they're soulmates!) and a moment of Death Eater malice (no violence, but some violent threats are made).

A/N: This is a companion piece to my earlier story "A Boy, a Girl, an Owl, and a Train Compartment", which I invite you to read if you would like a more in-depth account of Harry's first time meeting Luna – an event that is only briefly described here. (However, both stories can also be read independently of each other.) I attempted here to write a story that incorporated a wider variety of perspectives (Luna's, Harry's, and Xeno's, as opposed to just Harry's in the previous story), and that also took place over a longer timespan than a single afternoon and encompassed a wider setting than just the inside of a train. This was an ambitious piece, and it took a lot of time and energy to get it just how I liked it, so it may be the last fic I post for a while – but still, there's a lot packed in here, so it should give you plenty of entertainment whilst I brainstorm other ideas!

This story is mostly canon-compliant, with the main exceptions that Luna is in Harry's year and she is his girlfriend. As you shall see, their relationship also means that certain plot points from the books have been slightly altered or have been presented in a different light than in canon. However, the basic overarching plotlines of the books remain intact, and everyone who dies in canon dies here as well. The most dramatic departure from canon is that Harry never dates Cho or Ginny, but if you're a firm H/L supporter, that shouldn't bother you too much. ;) I also couldn't resist giving Rolf, Luna's canon spouse, his own introductory scene – because 1) I get the feeling they would have been good friends and colleagues even if they weren't a couple, and 2) after I learned about him, I was rather disappointed that he had never appeared in the books. Finally, I have no canon evidence that Pandora Lovegood was a Gryffindor – but the idea of her being one was interesting enough that I decided to take it and run. It would certainly explain where Luna gets her more daring side…

For those of you interested in "the story behind the story," who want a peek inside your average humble fanfic writer's brain, the catalyst for this piece was when I realized that, in so many Luna/Harry stories, we see them as a dating or married couple, while Xenophilius is mostly relegated to a background role. It's understandable that he'd be depicted this way, since most of the romance takes place away from Luna's home, but I still felt Xeno deserved a bit more attention than what he gets. After all, there's a rich father/daughter story lurking in the background there – and surely, I thought, Harry would seek to bond with his girlfriend's dad. But also, a troubling question was raised: if Luna and Harry were a couple, how might that have played into Xeno's attempted betrayal of Harry? Read on to see how all this unfolds! I hope you enjoy it.

Somehow You'll Just Know

Luna Lovegood always said she loved her house in the small village of Ottery St. Catchpole because it made her feel like she lived in her own personal castle. Nobody could disagree with this statement, because the fact of the matter was that the Lovegood house was shaped like a castle from a chess set – and as a result, it had acquired the nickname of "The Rook". Her father, Xenophilius (known as "Xeno" to his select few friends), had built the house himself some years before she was born, and while its awkward placement alone in the middle of a field seemed strange to outsiders, those who knew Xeno felt it mirrored his eccentricities perfectly. Xeno was the editor of The Quibbler, an unusual little wizarding magazine that purported to reveal the truth that other newspapers and magazines concealed, whether it related to misdeeds by the Ministry of Magic or to sightings of magical creatures that other people claimed didn't exist.

As a result of this magazine, many in the wizarding world dismissed him as a kook, and often expressed their concern among themselves that perhaps his strange ideas had had too much of an influence on his daughter's brain. These same people also often wondered with dismay whether things would have been better for little Luna if her mother, Pandora, was still alive. Pandora was known as an extremely talented potioneer during her life, but she also had a sense of daring and experimentation about her that had sometimes made people wonder if she was going to do herself in while attempting something dangerous one day. That day had come when Luna was only nine years old, and Pandora died in a potion-making accident while she and Luna were alone together. Xeno had immediately rushed from his office to The Rook to comfort Luna once he heard the news, and ever since then, he had run The Quibbler from home. The Rook, or so it seemed to many who did not know the Lovegoods personally, now had an air of melancholy about it.

To those who ventured inside The Rook, however, it was clear that an air of whimsy still pervaded the house, which was covered in the most peculiar decorations and had its rooms painted in the brightest and happiest of colors. A spiral staircase running around the outer wall led to other rooms on the house's various floors, and in one of these rooms was Luna's bedroom. Although most of the time it was unoccupied, since Luna was now eleven years old and had begun studying at Hogwarts, she was on Christmas vacation and had returned home for the first time. Xeno was delighted to see that, like himself, she had been sorted into Ravenclaw, the house that valued wit and knowledge – although he privately wondered whether she could have instead followed in her late mother's footsteps and been in Gryffindor, the house that valued bravery and daring.

Luna had been painting a mural of Hogwarts on her bedroom wall when Xeno walked into her room one day. The mural was extremely well-done, depicting the castle itself on the right side of the wall, and the Great Lake, with the stands of the Quidditch pitch in the distance behind it, in the middle. She was now finishing up the left side, where she had painted Hagrid's hut and the edge of the Forbidden Forest, with a small flock of thestrals standing next to it.

"That's very lovely, moonbeam," smiled Xeno, using his favorite nickname for her, "although I do wish you weren't able to see thestrals, as it would mean your mother was still with us." He spoke in an airy, eloquent, slightly gravelly voice, and was dressed in unusually patterned robes. Luna, who now stood up to admire her finished painting, had inherited his fashion sense along with his long, shaggy blond hair. Her eyes, however – those she had inherited from her mother: two large silvery-blue orbs that blinked very little and yet tended to soothe whoever looked into them.

"I like the thestrals," she said in an equally airy, yet softer, voice. "They remind me that it's okay to be different."

"Er, yes, I suppose they do," said Xeno sheepishly. "So, ah, how do you like your classes and your teachers? I know what some of the older ones are like from my own schooldays, but what are the newer ones like?"

"Professor Quirrell is nice," Luna trilled, packing up her art supplies, "but he does seem to have something under his turban bothering him – possibly a Vermicious Scalp-Biter. And Professor Snape isn't very nice sometimes. He doesn't like people fooling around in class, and I can't really blame him – but I'm not sure he actually wants to be a teacher. I feel like he's at Hogwarts because Professor Dumbledore wanted him there for something, like maybe he owed Dumbledore a favor." Luna had put her art supplies in her dresser, and had now pulled a picture of her parents off the top of the dresser and was gazing intently at it.

"That's us the year we graduated from Hogwarts," Xeno beamed, albeit with a feeling of immense longing and sorrow.

"Daddy?" asked Luna, still holding the photograph, "I know it won't happen for a few years, if at all, but… do you think I'll meet somebody at Hogwarts, too? A boyfriend, I mean?" Luna sat down on her bed, and Xeno sat down next to her, a nervous yet hopeful expression on his face.

"Well, you're certainly getting older," he said, "and I can't keep you from getting older. I've always suspected that might be in your future, but, well… don't rush into it, moonbeam. When the time comes, don't look for someone who sweeps you off your feet right away, because they might not be who you think, but instead keep your eye open for someone who is impressed by you. If they like what they see, they'll be somebody worth keeping – because they'll like you for who you are, not who they think you are. And also: a boyfriend needs to be a friend first, or else the word means nothing. If you're not friends, you won't be there for each other when things get difficult. That's when couples need each other the most, in the very darkest moments, and sadly, that's when some couples let each other go. I would wish for you to have a boyfriend who was also your very best friend in the entire world."

Luna looked slightly disappointed. "Oh, I don't know if it will happen then," she said quietly. "There aren't very many people who want to be my friend."

Xeno frowned slightly. It was true that, while Luna got along well with adults, she didn't seem to make very many friends her own age. Mostly, her only friend was Ginny Weasley, who was one year younger than her and lived a short distance away – and they had mainly connected due to Xeno being friends with Ginny's parents. Still, he wanted to give Luna all the encouragement he could.

"Don't worry, moonbeam," he smiled, hugging her. "There are many different people in the world. Maybe you'll meet who you're meant to be with at Hogwarts, and maybe you won't meet them until later – but somebody someday is going to notice what's special about you, and when they do notice you, you'll be able to tell. Somehow you'll just know."

Although Luna didn't realize it at the time, she had already noticed her future boyfriend at the very beginning of the school year. A little while after taking her seat at the Ravenclaw table during the Sorting Hat ceremony, she had seen Harry Potter making his way up to the Hat. She had watched him sitting under the Hat with both a piqued interest and a deep empathy: he had looked very nervous, like someone who didn't quite know where he belonged in the world. Harry, I know how you feel, she had thought. After an extended period of time, the Hat had placed him in Gryffindor, and Luna had felt a sudden tinge of disappointment, wishing that either she had gone to Gryffindor or he had come with her to Ravenclaw. He must be such an interesting person underneath all that fame, she had thought. He seems very kind and humble, and I'm sure we'd understand each other… maybe he'll be my friend someday. From that moment on, over the next four years, Luna had a very strong desire to meet Harry and see if her impression of him was correct.

She expected nothing more than a basic conversation with him, although every time she attempted to approach him, she found herself uncertain as to how to begin the conversation – something she would have chalked up to Wrackspurts had she not been wearing her protective earrings at the time. Although Harry had befriended the Weasleys, Ginny proved no help when she arrived in Luna's second year, as she had too strong a crush on Harry to approach him and introduce him to Luna. Once, in the library, Luna and Harry caught each other's eye, and she gave a brief nod which he returned, but no words were spoken. What a strange situation, Luna thought sadly as she walked back to Ravenclaw Tower. Everybody knows who he is, but he doesn't even know that somebody named Luna Lovegood exists. And all the while, the tales of Harry's bravery continued to spread: how he had retrieved the Sorcerer's Stone, how he had slain the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets (and had saved her best friend's life in the process), and finally how he had somehow entered himself in the Triwizard Tournament and was now boldly competing… I don't suppose people like me ever get to meet people like Harry Potter, she finally resigned herself to thinking.

However, at the beginning of their fifth year, Luna finally had the opportunity she hadn't thought would come when Harry wandered into the train compartment where she was sitting alone. As they began to converse, Luna realized there was even more to him than she had suspected, and as the Hogwarts Express made its way north, they found themselves opening up to each other about the pain in their pasts, about their dreams for the future, and about anything else that crossed their mind. Each one was impressed and fascinated by the other, and at one point, when Harry became especially emotional, Luna wrapped her arms around him in a comforting embrace. At that moment, the fact that Harry was famous suddenly stopped being important to her: she felt she had been invited to see a more private and vulnerable side of him that few other people ever did, and she understood exactly why she had felt drawn to him all those years.

As the train drew closer to its destination, Harry and Luna put on their school robes, and she could notice Harry watching her bemusedly, as if he still hadn't quite processed everything about her yet. "I really feel like I've made a true friend today," he told her, and Luna felt her heart leaping up into her throat the moment he said it. "I don't know exactly what this is yet," he continued, "but I want to see you again. I want to spend more time with you. I feel like I have so many things left to learn about you."

Luna excitedly told Harry that he could send her a message via owl anytime he wanted, and as she left the compartment and made her way off the train, she kept replaying bits of conversation with Harry over and over again in her head. I won't ever forget this day, she told herself, as her father's advice from nearly four years ago also popped into her head. Harry, you may not know what this is yet, but I think I do. I think you're the person I've been wondering if I would ever meet – the one who's going to be my boyfriend.

For his part, Harry wasn't sure whether he wanted Luna to be his friend or his girlfriend at first, but he quickly discovered how much he enjoyed spending time with her. He showed her the Marauder's Map, which she was completely entranced by, and she in turn showed him all her favorite secluded spots on the castle grounds. Luna always knew where to take Harry that would be quiet and peaceful – places where nobody would disturb them and they could tell each other all about their lives. Hedwig, who had formed a close bond with Luna, would tag along with them whenever she wasn't off delivering a letter, and Harry always found himself moved by the way in which Luna would pet and feed his owl. Over the first two months of the school year, despite his initial hesitation, Harry found himself falling in love with Luna. She was such a calming, attentive presence in the midst of everything else in his life, and he thought about her all the time.

And yet Harry could also see that, despite Luna's gentle personality and her seeming lack of a temper, she was absolutely not a pushover. She was completely enthused about joining Dumbledore's Army, and was the very first in the group who was able to produce a full Patronus – which, given her cheerful, optimistic nature, didn't surprise Harry in the least. She loves the entire world and doesn't want to see it ruined, he realized after one D.A. meeting, as he stood alone in the Room of Requirement. She's a lover and a fighter both at once, and somehow those two sides draw from each other. Between losing her mum and being ostracized, she's certainly seen enough to make her angry – and yet she hasn't become angry. She's had to toughen herself up, but she's done it using happy thoughts. He stood in silence for a moment before realizing that Luna meant more to him than he had first admitted – and it was time to do something about it.

One day, shortly afterward, Harry and Luna were lying under a shady tree in a remote corner of the grounds, watching clouds and pointing shapes out to each other. Most of the shapes Luna saw were magical creatures Harry had never heard of, even in The Quibbler (he wondered if she made some of them up just to play a joke on him), and some of what he saw were things from the Muggle world that Luna had never heard of. They were a paradox of a couple, Harry reasoned. In some ways, their backgrounds were very similar; in other ways, they were from completely different worlds – and yet neither could deny that they were more comfortable with each other than with anybody else. It was difficult to explain why: perhaps their shared experience as outcasts cut through all their differences, perhaps they each simply had something the other lacked – and perhaps their relationship was something that wasn't even meant to be explained, but was solely meant to be lived.

I can analyze it up and down, Harry thought, but this isn't going anywhere until I tell her how I feel. However, at that moment, just as Harry was struggling to find the right words, Luna threw his thoughts even further into disarray by closing her eyes and saying straightforwardly, "Harry Potter, you're my very best friend in the entire world."

Harry felt a jolt in his heart, and sat upright against the tree and looked down at the girl with the silent grin on her face. "Luna…" he said in a nervous tone, "Luna… I feel like… you're one of my best friends, too. In fact, I can't tell because I haven't felt this way before… but I think you're my girlfriend. I think this might be what having a girlfriend feels like. And if you aren't my girlfriend yet… I hope you will be."

At that, Luna's heart fluttered and her eyes darted open. It's finally happening, she thought. She immediately sat up next to Harry, eyeing him eagerly and tearfully with the biggest smile he had ever seen. "Can you – can you repeat that?" she asked tenderly. "In the form of a question?"

"Luna Lovegood, will you be my girlfriend?" asked Harry.

"I thought you might ask that," Luna replied. "At least, I hoped you might. And yes, I will – but I've also been wanting to ask you, so: will you be my boyfriend?" She moved in closer, but Harry held a hand up as if to signal caution.

"Yes," he said, "but I… I don't know how good a boyfriend I'll be. I don't want to let you down. I wouldn't want to let anybody down, but…" He stroked her hair and cheek with his hand. "…especially not you."

"You won't," Luna said softly, "because I'll understand you, and I'll always support you – and even if you do make a mistake… I'll forgive you, because you're still my friend underneath everything else. In fact, our friendship makes us more than boyfriend and girlfriend. It makes us a team." Both were silent for a moment, gazing into each other's eyes, Harry's green ones and Luna's silver-blue ones following each other. Finally, Luna broke the silence: "I believe this is the part where we're supposed to kiss."

Harry nodded, and they moved their faces closer together, only for their noses to bump into each other. Luna giggled as they both backed away, and then suggested, "Maybe if we start out as a hug so we're a little more comfortable? I mean, we've hugged plenty of times… don't worry, we'll get this next kiss right!"

Sure enough, the second time did the trick. Harry and Luna put their arms around each other, enjoying the warmth of each other's embrace, and adjusted the angles of their heads so that their lips were now directly across from each other. "Now we've got it!" Luna beamed excitedly, as they both closed their eyes. She took a deep breath. "And three… two… one…"

Immediately after "one", Luna felt her heart start pumping faster than ever before. Her lips were pressing directly into Harry's, and she found the sensation extremely pleasant. Harry, for his part, greatly enjoyed the taste – and he also found that, as she did with her hugs, Luna seemed to be putting her entire soul into her kiss. This must be the opposite of a Dementor's Kiss, he thought, keeping her in an intense lip-lock until he finally felt tired and attempted to back away. Luna, however, clearly had other plans, since she quickly reached an arm up, seized the back of Harry's head, and gave a soft little push forward – just enough to ensure his lips remained connected to hers for a few more minutes. Harry decided he was going to enjoy being Luna's boyfriend.

"But why the hell would you choose to date a nutter like Loony Lovegood?" Ron Weasley cried incredulously in the Gryffindor common room one night. "Harry, she's been to our house… and I can tell you, that girl is weird!" His statement almost instantly earned him a punch in the arm from his sister Ginny and a slap on the back of the head from Hermione Granger.

"Don't swear, don't call her a nutter, don't call her weird, and don't call her Loony!" snapped Ginny. "Just because you don't see anything in Luna doesn't mean Harry can't! I think she's very lucky that she gets to be Harry's girlfriend, and I'm very happy for her!"

"Oh, come on!" exclaimed Ron. "What about Harry? He needs to be thinking about important things right now, not spending all day listening to stories about the Kacky Snorgle or whatever she calls it!"

"Ginny's right, you know," Hermione interjected. "Luna is, ah, unconventional, I'll admit that, but she's also interesting, which is more than I can say for your taste in girls! You wouldn't recognize an interesting girl if she was sitting right next to you!"

"Well…" Ron mumbled, "at least Harry's dating a girl who doesn't punch me in the arm just for saying something stupid. That's one nice thing I can say about Loony… er, Luna." Although Harry had felt slightly insulted by his best friend's comments, he had watched the ensuing conversation amusedly, pleased to see that Hermione and Ginny were lending their support.

"You just haven't seen enough of her, mate," he said, shaking his head at Ron. "If you could just sit down and talk with her, let her really get into your heart, maybe then you'd understand. There's much more to her than people think. She completely fascinates me." Ron had a dumbfounded expression on his face, as if to say Really?, but Ginny and Hermione had broken into the biggest, goofiest smiles they could muster, and Harry strongly suspected there would be a good deal of gossip in the girls' dormitory that night.

Luna returned home to The Rook for the Christmas holidays. After a ride on the Hogwarts Express, she took the Knight Bus to Ottery St. Catchpole, and after walking a short distance through the fields, she gleefully spotted her familiar castle-shaped house in the foreground. Breaking into a run, she saw it come closer and closer to her, and then she was running up the drive to the front door, calling, "Daddy! Daddy! I'm home!" Xeno, who had been working in the garden, leapt forth to greet her.

"Moonbeam!" he exclaimed, hugging her as he did every time she arrived home. "Darling, do you know, I heard the call of a Skorgling Trumpeter earlier today? I do wish I'd been able to see it, but it didn't seem to stick around. I say, did you hear that Arthur Weasley is in St. Mungo's? He was bitten by a giant snake in the Ministry! Dratted thing must have gotten loose from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures… I don't know how many letters I've written saying they need better oversight in that department. Hopefully they'll listen to me now!"

"Oh, Daddy, that's terrible!" said Luna in a voice that was partly sad and partly shocked. "Mr. Weasley is so very nice, and he always has the most interesting Muggle gadgets… We should send him a fruit basket. He'd like that."

"A wonderful plan, Luna," Xeno smiled as they entered the house. "Tell me, how have your classes been this year? Are you looking forward to your O.W.L.s? Have you made any new friends?" While Luna was always happy to come home, Xeno couldn't help but worry that she was lonely sometimes, as she still didn't seem to have very many friends other than Ginny.

"I still love my classes," trilled Luna, "but Hagrid was gone an awfully long time this year, and Professor Umbridge is incredibly mean… but it doesn't seem like her meanness is coming from sadness, like Professor Snape's. She just seems genuinely mean, and I don't like seeing people like that. Oh, but I have learned a lot about DADA outside of her class; in fact, I've made quite a few new friends… and, um…" Luna found herself blushing slightly and faltering in her speech, but she knew this had nothing to do with Wrackspurts. "Well, there's someone in particular…"

"Oh?" Xeno, seated at the dining room table, raised an eyebrow enquiringly. "And what, pray tell, might you mean by that?" He could recognize when his daughter was playing coy, after years of them hiding birthday and Christmas presents from each other, and it was always a guessing game as to which Ravenclaw would be able to read the other first.

"Well, ah…" Luna said evasively, feeling a bit of sweat gathered under her butterbeer cork necklace, "he's a boy… in fact, he's a boyfriend, just like you told me I might have someday… remember, a few years ago?"

"I do," Xeno grinned, pleased that Luna was coming clean so early. "Your mother and I were about your age when we met… so I was a bit prepared that I might hear something like this. But, ah, we can't exactly bring up this topic and then drop it, moonbeam. I've got a few questions for you. First: you took my advice, I trust? And second: er, who is this fellow? Might he be anyone I know?"

"Yes and yes!" exclaimed Luna, who had now sat down opposite her father. "Thank you so much for what you told me, Daddy, because I did know him when I met him! He's just so kind, and he enjoys being with me so much, and he always wants to hear what I have to say… he calls me insightful…"

"Always turn to a Ravenclaw for advice," Xeno nodded. "That does seem to be our method of attracting others. So, ah, is he a Ravenclaw, too?"

"No," said Luna. "He's a Gryffindor, just like Mum, and he's so very brave… probably the bravest of them all, in fact! And… oh Daddy, he's been through so much in his life, but he hasn't given up… we just really, really like each other."

"And who is this mystery person?" asked Xeno, looking deeply into his daughter's eyes and putting her hands in his. "He sounds quite remarkable."

"He is remarkable," Luna smiled, "because he's Harry Potter."

Xeno's mouth dropped slightly, and he sat back, looking even more dazed than usual. "Harry Potter?" he asked admiringly. "You're dating the Harry Potter? Oh, Luna… I… I… oh, I knew you'd meet someone special, but I didn't think… oh, Harry is an inspiration to all of us! This is outstanding!" Xeno had broken into a fit of giddiness: having leapt from the table, he was now pacing back and forth across the room. "Although I suspect Molly will be a bit disappointed; she quite fancied that Harry might date little Ginny someday… I say, where is he? Did you bring him home to visit us?"

"Oh, no, I didn't, Daddy," said Luna dejectedly. "I didn't know what you were going to say, so I didn't think to ask… but I imagine he's with the Weasleys, anyway. Professor Dumbledore sent him away rather quickly – which made Professor Umbridge quite angry. She doesn't like Harry. I can't tell that she likes anybody, though."

"Well," grinned Xeno, "I fully insist that Harry will be our guest next summer. We can go look for the Snorkack another year; this, I think, is an even rarer and more delightful discovery. But, er, I do hope I can meet him a bit sooner than that."

"We'll see, Daddy," Luna smiled, as she got up from the table and headed for the spiral staircase to her room. "I've asked him to give you an interview, but he's a bit shy. But I think it's cute: he fights off Dementors and Death Eaters, and yet he's always so shy around me."

"Er… wait, moonbeam," Xeno called just as Luna had barely begun climbing the staircase. "Now, I don't wish to intrude, but, well, are you being… cautious with Harry? I wouldn't want to see you get carried away and end up getting hurt… I just… I don't want your heart broken."

"Don't worry, Daddy," chuckled Luna, "he won't go any farther than I let him. In fact, I'm the one who started our first kiss. Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to go revise one of my paintings. I'm feeling… inspired."

"Ah, very like your mother," Xeno beamed. "I swear, you could have been a Gryffindor, too. A bit ironic that you aren't and he is – but I suppose love is the only thing more intimidating than the Dark Arts!" Beaming back, Luna ascended the staircase, leaving Xeno alone in the dining room, filled with all the semi-nervous, semi-happy thoughts of a father with a romantically active daughter. Just as well, he quipped to himself, smirking. I don't suppose there was any sort of threat I could have levied against the only person who's ever survived a Killing Curse, anyway.

Xeno's opportunity for an interview came sooner than he expected. When the school year resumed, Harry told Luna that the attack on Mr. Weasley had convinced him that he needed to tell his story publicly, before everyone bought into the narrative the Ministry was telling. After sending a quick letter to her father and receiving an equally quick response, Luna said that Xeno would meet Harry in The Three Broomsticks during the next Hogsmeade trip – which, it so happened, would take place on Valentine's Day. "Daddy wants to speak with you alone, in a private room," Luna informed Harry, and Harry could feel a lump in his throat – whether of anticipation or dread, he could not be sure.

Valentine's Day arrived, and Harry and Luna walked down to Hogsmeade together. Harry's mind had been so focused on meeting Luna's father that he now began to suspect he was neglecting her on their first Valentine's Day together. "Listen, Luna," he said gently, "I'm sorry we can't spend the whole day together, but… maybe after I'm done talking to your father, we can go to Madam Puddifoot's, and be with all the other couples?" Luna looked disappointed, although it wasn't for the reason Harry thought.

"You're only suggesting that because you assume it's what I want," she said in the closest thing to a scolding tone that Harry had ever heard from her. "But I want to be genuinely cared about, not fawned over. Who cares what all the other couples are doing today? They're not us! …And besides, we both know that's not what you want. You told me yourself on the train the very first time we met: you don't want fame, and you don't want attention drawn to yourself. I fully intend to grant your wish."

"Then what do you want to do today?" Harry asked.

Luna returned to her exuberant self: "Well, for the last two years, while everyone else was dating, I've always gone down to the lakeshore to look for Gulping Plimpies, and I think I'll go do that again while you're with Daddy. After you're done, you can come find me and we can look together – with two of us looking, we might even catch one!"

"That's all you want?" asked Harry, surprised. "For us to look for fish together? I'll be happy to, but… it doesn't seem like much of a Valentine's Day. I thought you'd want something more… special. Something you'd remember."

"We'll be alone together," Luna smiled, "and we'll be doing something I love. That's as much as I need, and it'll be a very special memory."

Harry took his leave of Luna with a kiss, and as he walked into Hogsmeade, he watched her bounding away, her shaggy blonde hair streaming out behind her. When he reached The Three Broomsticks, he told Madam Rosmerta who he was waiting for, and she led him to the room where Xeno was waiting. As Harry sat opposite the grinning blond wizard, who had on multicolored robes that could have been stolen from Dumbledore's wardrobe, he thought he could see where Luna got her eccentricities. Although he had seen Xeno's photograph many times in The Quibbler, and had already discerned a bit about his personality from that, the man somehow seemed more Luna-like in person, exhibiting both her quiet, insightful side and her bubbly, excitable side even before he opened his mouth.

"Ah, Harry Potter," Xeno said in his airy, eloquent voice as he and Harry shook hands. "Xenophilius Lovegood – although you may call me Xeno. I have eagerly awaited this meeting, although I am a bit sad that it has taken this long. But then, I do understand why someone such as yourself would be hesitant to speak up."

"Yes, well," said Harry, now wringing his hands under the table, "I thought that… there's a lot at stake right now, and I just wanted to tell what happened to Cedric for his sake – and his family's sake. The public deserves to know the truth."

"I quite agree," smiled Xeno, "and you've come to the right place. However, I wasn't necessarily talking just about Cedric. I believe there's… somebody else you haven't disclosed information about. Someone, in fact, who lives in my house."

Harry sank into his chair, feeling like he might be having a panic attack. An entire day of Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape suddenly seemed more appealing than this conversation. Yeah, I'd take that option, he thought. Whatever else he may hate me for, it's not like Snape has a daughter who I've been dating – and kissing – behind his back.

"Mr. Lovegood, sir!" Harry exclaimed. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I… I should have contacted you sooner; I just didn't know…" But then, with a small sense of relief, Harry saw that Xeno was still smiling.

"Harry…" he said kindly. "You forget, or else you have not stopped to think, that before I was a father, I was a husband, and before that, I was a boyfriend – so I remember well what it was like to court a fascinating girl, and how much I wanted her family to approve of me. Yes, indeed, I remember exactly what it was like to sit on that side of the table. I assure you I think most highly of you, Harry; after all, I have come all this way solely to speak with you. In fact, even if you did not have a story I wanted for my magazine… I believe this meeting would have still been extremely important to me." Xeno paused, scratched his head, and continued: "Now, ah, Luna, as I'm sure you realize, means the world to me – but she's also told me enough about you that I know she thinks the world of you. So… I don't see any reason not to approve of this relationship, although I am curious to know what your perspective is on all this. What is it you find attractive about my daughter?"

Harry was silent for a moment, thinking of the conversation he and Luna had just had on the way to Hogsmeade, and then imagining her at the lakeshore right now, crouching down to see if she could find any of the elusive fish. "There's so much…" he said finally, "she's kind, she's thoughtful, she's pretty, she understands people's pain and always seems to know what to say to make someone feel better… but I guess my favorite thing is that… she always surprises me. She's just not like anybody else I've ever met – or probably ever will meet." Xeno nodded in agreement, and Harry continued: "I just don't want to disappoint her, or… or you either, because I feel like if I did, and then I never saw her again… I'd always regret it. And… I promise I'll make sure she stays safe for you, no matter what happens. She can hold her own if she's ever in trouble – I can vouch for that – but I won't let her get hurt, and I certainly won't hurt her myself."

"I sometimes fear that it is I, not you, who may do something that will hurt Luna," Xeno said in a low, gravelly whisper. "I would place her safety over anything else if I ever needed to, and I am often afraid that I will have to make a difficult choice someday, although I do not know what such a choice might be." Harry nodded in sympathy; whether Xeno realized it or not, Harry understood what he meant. After all, his entire life was a testament to the fact that parents sometimes made difficult choices.

"Now then, Harry:" said Xeno, regaining his composure, "while my daughter is of great importance to me personally, let us shift to a topic that is of great importance to everybody. What can you tell me about the night Cedric died and You-Know-Who returned?"

For the rest of his life, Harry had mixed feelings about the battle at the Department of Mysteries. On one hand, it was there that Sirius Black had died, but on the other hand, it was also there that Harry had realized how impressive Luna truly was. She had not only proven herself to be as clever as Hermione (even if Hermione had been able to see thestrals, Harry doubted she would have thought to ride them), but had also fought as vigorously as anyone, refusing to back down no matter how many Death Eaters attacked her. Even in the heat of the battle, Harry hadn't been able to shake his attraction to her – and he supposed one of the most painful things about Sirius's death was that he would never be able to introduce his godfather to his girlfriend.

As planned, Harry visited the Lovegoods at The Rook that summer, a stay coordinated by Dumbledore, who agreed to escort Harry once they had gone over Sirius's will at the Dursleys and had then gone to meet Professor Slughorn (whom Harry had mixed feelings about, although he conceded that Slughorn was the nicest Slytherin he'd ever met). He and Dumbledore had Apparated to Ottery St. Catchpole, and were now walking through the fields together at night, Dumbledore holding his wand aloft as a light. Harry felt his heart pounding as The Rook came into view; although the house may have looked intimidating in any other scenario, he knew who was waiting for him inside, and who he would get to spend the whole summer with.

"You have been thinking quite intently of Ms. Lovegood tonight?" Dumbledore asked casually, and Harry felt his pace slowing. "Did you just – " Harry began, but Dumbledore cut him off with a mirthful chuckle.

"Oh, I hardly needed Legilimency for this," said Dumbledore. "I do believe she has touched your soul as well as your heart, and, I suppose, she was very uniquely qualified to do so. You know, Harry, it occurs to me that we have never really discussed your romantic life, and as such, I haven't told you this story. When Luna was only a first-year, Mr. Filch brought her to my office; it seems she was trying to sneak down to the Forbidden Forest with a sack full of meat. As I knew her to be vegetarian, I thought that was an odd thing for her to carry – but she told me that she only wanted to feed the thestrals. Since so few people could see them, she said, she felt that they needed more friends. I was quite touched, and so I decided to bend the rules and escort her, and as I watched her feeding the thestrals, it occurred to me that she was one of the gentlest, most compassionate souls I had ever met." He paused. "I believe you will agree with that assessment – but there's a bit more to the story. You see, right before she had been brought to my office, I had been thinking of you, and your situation. As I watched Luna, I also began to ponder what might result from my introducing you to her; I detected she had something that would be of great aid to you later. And yet… in this case, I did not intervene. I felt you would most likely find each other, on your own, when the need to do so was greatest. And so you did… and now here we are." They had arrived at the front door, which Dumbledore now knocked on, and Xeno answered it, clad in garish plaid pajamas and a matching nightcap.

"Good evening, Xenophilius," smiled Dumbledore, as he led Harry into the house. "My apologies for calling on you this late at night, but I had other matters to attend to first… oh my, do you know, I have those exact same pajamas? In fact, I do suppose I should be getting back home for a nap… Well, take care, Xeno; I have placed the protections we discussed on the house." With a handshake and a thank-you, the two men parted ways, and once Dumbledore had left, Xeno led Harry into the living room, where Luna was curled up asleep on the sofa. She was wearing sky-blue pajamas and had a wide grin on her face; Hedwig, who had flown to The Rook in advance to send a letter, was asleep next to her, with Luna's hand nonchalantly stroking her feathers.

"The poor dear…" Xeno sighed. "She was so insistent on staying up to greet you, but she just became too tired. Finally, I told her that you'd be here in the morning, and that she'd see you when she woke up. She's actually done this twice before, you know. Once, she tried to stay up late to see Father Christmas… and then there was the time she was going to stay up all night so she could catch the Fizzlers that she was positive were sneaking into the house when nobody was looking… Oh, but you must be so tired too, Harry. Let me show you to your room."

Xeno led Harry to the guest room, which Harry immediately saw was decorated in Gryffindor red-and-gold, complete with an ornate striped perch for Hedwig. "I thought this might make you feel at home," Xeno smiled, "and it did bring me great joy to bring out my wife's old decorations again. We haven't had any Gryffindor pride in this house for – well – for too long." Harry was touched, but there was also something bothering him.

"Er… Xeno, sir?" he asked. "Look, about what happened at the Ministry… I honestly didn't mean to put Luna in danger. She…"

"…went to the danger herself," Xeno finished, looking at Harry sagely. "She has her mother's bravery, Mr. Potter. That, I fear, is not a quality she obtained from me – but I can tell you, Pandora would have liked you very much."

"Thank you, sir," smiled Harry, slightly surprised that no apology was required, "but… I think you're wrong about not having any bravery. I think it's quite brave of you to print the stories nobody else is willing to print."

Xeno grinned sheepishly: "Well, Harry, that's just writing. I'm proud that The Quibbler has been a beacon of truth, but, well, it's not quite the same as actually fighting. DADA classes always intimidated me a bit in my days at Hogwarts; I certainly couldn't have done what Luna did that night. But I'm very glad you were there with her. We'll both see you in the morning." Xeno left the room, closing the door behind him, and Harry, too tired to change into pajamas, stripped to his undershorts and climbed into the soft bed. He called to mind the image of Luna curled up on the sofa, and drifted quickly off to sleep, thinking about how happy he was to have her in his life. Yes, he thought. I'll see her in the morning – but hopefully we'll meet each other in our dreams before then.

After breakfast, Luna took Harry on a full tour of the house, leading him up the spiral staircase and excitedly pointing out all the different rooms, including Xeno's office, where the printing press for The Quibbler was set up. Finally, she brought him to her room, where Harry's eyes were immediately drawn to the wall-length mural of Hogwarts.

"Luna!" exclaimed Harry. "You can paint, too? That's… oh, that's beautiful! You captured so much detail!"

"Hogwarts is such a wonderful place," Luna smiled. "I wanted to be able to see it, even when I'm not there. And… I wanted to be able to see my friends, too." She pointed to the ceiling, and Harry looked up, where he noticed another mural of himself, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville Longbottom, all connected together in a circle by a series of golden chain letters spelling friends. He was deeply touched at seeing this, but also dumbstruck, wondering how exactly Luna had managed to paint directly on the ceiling.

"Actually," Luna said tenderly, breaking the silence created by Harry's inability to speak, "I put a charm on that painting so you could see what it used to look like. I've changed it since then." She pulled her wand out from behind her ear – the same place she almost always kept it – and with a twirl, Harry disappeared from the mural and the other four figures moved closer together.

"You took me off the mural?" asked Harry in a confused tone. "But you said I was your very best friend in the entire world!"

"Oh, you are!" grinned Luna. "That's why I needed a special place for you." She twirled her wand again, and Harry saw a new mural emerging in the center of the "friends" one: it depicted him and Luna, holding hands, with the single word love written above them in golden chain letters. Harry, even more startled than he had been, could barely find his voice.

"L-Luna?" he stuttered. "D-does that say love?"

"I hope so," replied Luna in her casually dreamy voice. "I love you, so that's what it was supposed to say." She tucked her wand back behind her ear, and beamed at her boyfriend. "You did know I loved you, right? Because of course I love you, Harry Potter!"

Harry had never heard those words before – at least, not in this context. I'm not going to be able to keep standing, or even breathing, he thought, although he could feel one of the biggest smiles of his life spreading over his face. Luna Lovegood just said she loved me – three times, no less! Unable to control his emotions, he seized Luna in such a strong embrace that he actually lifted her up off the floor. He then set her back down, put a hand on each side of her face, and locked his green eyes firmly with her silver-blue ones. Harry felt extremely grateful that Luna didn't blink very much, because he wanted her eyes to stay open for this.

"Luna Lovegood," he said affectionately, suddenly realizing exactly how apt her surname was, "I love you. I love you, I love you, and I'll always love you. Nothing anybody's done has ever compared to this. You just… oh, I couldn't ever replace you." Luna's lip trembled, as though she might start crying, but it was quickly stopped by Harry, who leaned in to kiss her. Luna put her hands on Harry's shoulders and deepened the kiss, wanting it to last as long as it possibly could.

That night, Xeno and Luna led Harry to the very top of the spiral staircase, where they pushed a trapdoor in the ceiling open. "This is the very best part of the house," Luna promised, as they emerged on the round, flat roof to a sky full of more stars than Harry had ever seen in his life. Beyond a metal railing that kept them safe from falling off the edge, Harry could see for miles across the fields in all directions, and he smiled when he saw The Burrow a short distance away. It was a warm night, and the air felt very comforting. Believe it or not, I actually like this even better than the summer the Weasleys took me to the Quidditch World Cup, Harry thought.

"You're right," he said. "This is amazing. You've lived here your whole life?" Luna nodded, and then the three of them sat down together as she began pointing out many different stars and planets with her wand. Harry huddled up right next to her – an action he was uncertain about at first, but which provoked no stern response or uncomfortable reaction from Xeno. Finally, Luna moved her wand in a circle around one particular star.

"Harry?" she asked softly. "Do you see that star? I wanted to show it to you because… well, I've been thinking about that star ever since we were at the Department of Mysteries. It's a very special star; appropriately enough, some people call it the Dog Star, but its more formal name is… Sirius." Harry's heart stiffened at the mention of his godfather, but he recalled how Luna had comforted him over Cedric's death during their very first meeting. Luna wouldn't bring something like this up to hurt me, he thought. She must be going somewhere with this.

"Sirius is actually the brightest star in the sky," continued Luna, "which means you'll always be able to see it wherever you are. And Harry: I think if Sirius the star is always watching over you, Sirius the man must be there watching over you as well. He wouldn't have just left you behind." Harry felt one of the greatest rushes of affection for Luna he had ever felt: he didn't know how her mind worked, but she always seemed to know the perfect thing to say. He suspected, if not for her father's presence, that he would have shared another kiss with her right then and there.

Xeno cleared his throat before speaking up: "I actually have something to add to that, Harry. Sirius is considered a very important star all over the world. A Moroccan colleague of mine once told me that in Arabic it is called ash-shira, 'the leader'. I think that describes your dear departed godfather very well. Would that the illustrious Mr. Black were with us here tonight, not only in spirit but in mortal form." Harry found himself taking comfort from Xeno's words as well, and although looking at the star gave Harry a great deal of comfort, he suddenly felt that the moon was the most beautiful thing in the sky.

Because that's her, he thought. The moon. Luna. I've seen it my entire life, and I didn't realize until now that it's a sign of the girl I was meant to fall in love with – and now I know I love Xeno too, in a different way of course, but just as much as I love Luna… he feels like family to me. I may have lost Sirius, but… the Lovegoods are my family now, just like the Weasleys are. And so, with that in his mind, he decided it was worth the risk to go ahead and kiss Luna.

The rest of the summer was spent at The Rook, with frequent walks over to The Burrow so that Harry and Luna could visit the Weasleys and Hermione. Molly, Ginny, and Hermione were all grateful whenever Luna showed up, as her cheerful optimism was a pleasant antidote to Fleur Delacour's continual snootiness and fault-finding. On one visit, after Fleur pointed at Luna and asked, "Why does zat strange leetle girl keep showing up 'ere?", Hermione responded by hissing under her breath to Harry: "If I were Mrs. Weasley, I'd kick Fleur out of the house for saying that!" Harry chuckled, deeply pleased to see that Hermione was standing up for Luna despite their differences.

Harry and Luna continued dating in their sixth year at Hogwarts, both frequently writing letters to Xeno as the year went on, and as they moved up into N.E.W.T. classes, things began to change for Luna. While she still maintained her reputation as the most prominent school oddball (with the possible exception of Professor Trelawney), she had also grown into a beautiful teenager – but more significantly, classmates who had previously ignored her were now beginning to recognize her as someone who was very intelligent and kind. Even Ron finally began to realize what Harry saw in Luna, and before long, the Golden Trio had become a Golden Quartet.

Most surprising to Harry, however, was that his nemesis Snape even seemed to grudgingly approve of him for once. One day, he passed Snape in the hall shortly after parting from Luna, and the professor folded his arms at Harry and gave his usual sneer before saying, "You still reek of your father's arrogance, Potter… and yet… I do not think, had he met someone like Ms. Lovegood, that he would have appreciated the subtleties of her intellect. An interesting choice, Mr. Potter; I can only hope you have sense enough not to waste it." That's probably the closest thing I'll ever get to a compliment from him, Harry thought as Snape stalked away to his next class. And you know what? I'll show you, Snape. I'm not going to waste it – not now, not ever.

But Snape was not the only teacher to take notice of them: Slughorn considered Harry and Luna his prize pupils among his sixth-year students (along with Hermione, whose encyclopedic memory never failed to impress him), and he frequently noted how they both seemed to have inherited their mothers' flair for potion-making. Luna kept quiet about Harry's "extra help" in the form of the Half-Blood Prince's textbook, but Harry found he was actually relying less on that book and more on Luna (who, in many cases, was able to refine the Prince's potion-making suggestions even further).

Luna accompanied Harry to several Slug Club meetings that fall, each time wearing an elegant yet eccentric dress of her own design. They were always the most interesting couple in the room, and Luna was somehow able to make anyone smile with her witty observations and wild theories. At one party in particular, they had split up to mingle among different people in the crowd, when after a while, Harry noticed Luna waving him over to her.

"Harry!" she called. "Oh, you positively have to meet Rolf! Professor Slughorn just introduced him to me! Rolf, this is Harry Potter. Harry, this is Rolf Scamander, from the famous Scamander family of magizoologists!" The man whose hand Harry was now shaking was young – Harry suspected he was their age, perhaps a year or two older – but he had a definite rugged, outdoorsy appearance about him, between his thatch of reddish-brown hair and a matching goatee. He looked quite dapper in his brown tweed suit, although Harry suspected this was not the type of outfit he wore on an everyday basis.

"Harry Potter!" exclaimed Rolf. "A famous name indeed. I would have been quite surprised not to see you here, I think."

"Well, just once, it would be nice to meet somebody who didn't already know me," Harry joked, "but I suppose you know what being a celebrity is like. Your grandad literally wrote the book on magical creatures."

"That is a source of family pride," Rolf responded, taking a sip from a wine-glass, "but this charming young lady may render that tome obsolete someday. I think she's going to be one of our field's brightest young stars. She has the most interesting ideas…" He paused. "Are you two… an item, by any chance?"

"Harry's my boyfriend and my best friend!" Luna exclaimed joyfully, quickly putting her arm around Harry's. Harry supposed he may have felt jealous in this type of situation once, but between Luna's clear devotion and Rolf's polite demeanor, he could tell that he had nothing to fear.

"Blast!" hissed Rolf in an exasperated tone. "Beat me to the punch, eh, Potter? I say, why are all the most interesting people already taken? But, ah, where are my manners? You are quite delightful together – although I must say, Harry, had I gone to Hogwarts instead of studying abroad, I might have been the one courting Miss Luna instead!"

"Oh, I'm so flattered!" Luna beamed, blushing slightly. "You know, nobody besides Harry has ever said they'd be interested in me! – Oh, but Rolf, surely there's a fascinating person for you somewhere in the world… I mean, the world is such a very big place."

"You're studying abroad?" Harry asked, genuinely intrigued. There was still much he didn't know about the wizarding world outside of England.

"In China," Rolf replied. "They're very different from Hogwarts there; there's much more emphasis placed on field study. In fact, I've been doing some extremely interesting zoology work in Tibet and Bhutan…"

"Tibet?" Luna asked, her eyes sparkling. "The Crumple-Horned Snorkack has been seen there!" Harry expected Rolf to snicker or look confused at the mention of the Snorkack, but instead he said thoughtfully, "Indeed it has, Luna. It would be difficult to find any of the little blighters in the snow, though. No, our more pressing concern right now is Yetis – as you may have read in my grandad's book, our inability to control them has been one of the wizarding world's biggest failures. So many Muggles have seen them over the decades, and it's been impossible to modify all their memories…"

"Ooh!" said Luna, noticing something across the room. "Well, I'd absolutely love to keep talking with you, Rolf, but I think my friend Hermione just found someone she wants me to meet… or else she wants me to distract Cormac so she can get away from him… but it's been so wonderful meeting you! I'll keep in touch!" Luna released Harry's arm and dashed away, leaving the two men together, and Rolf put his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Harry," he said, "er… pardon my asking, mate, but I've got to know… what did you do to meet somebody like her? Did you drink a whole liter of Felix Felicis?"

"No," Harry grinned, "I just sat down in the right train compartment at the right time."

Harry returned with Luna to The Rook that Christmas, where Xeno greeted them both with a warm embrace and an assortment of unusually shaped packages. I can only imagine what Xenophilius Lovegood would get someone as a present, Harry thought, but the look of joy in his girlfriend's father's eyes filled him with gratitude. For his part, this was the happiest Xeno could recall feeling at Christmas since before Pandora had died, and the sight of Harry and his daughter together – smiling, laughing, dancing, and cuddling – seemed to bring a new and much-welcomed lightness to The Rook. With some assistance from Harry and Luna, he crafted a set of red and green enchanted orbs to hang around the outside of the house. "How very lovely," Xeno smiled as the three of them stood at some distance from The Rook, admiring their handiwork. "Unfortunately, the colors will scare the Skorgling Trumpeters away – and I was hoping I might finally get a good look at them this year – but I think that's a rather small price to pay to have us all here together this Yule."

Of course, no holiday in Ottery St. Catchpole would have been complete without a visit to The Burrow, and when Harry and Luna arrived, they found a familiar sight in the dining room: several members of the Weasley family gathered around the table, wearing their annual monogrammed sweaters. Ginny was wearing bright red, Fred and George were wearing light blue (Harry silently wondered if they had swapped sweaters while nobody was looking), and Ron was wearing the much-despised maroon and looking rather glum about it – although Harry suspected he was more glum about his recent row with Hermione. Molly stood beside the table, holding both a wrapped-up package and Harry's green sweater with the letter "H" on it.

"You've given the sweaters out a little early this year, I see?" asked Harry, as Molly handed him his sweater and he put it on.

"Yes," Molly nodded, "and I've got something for Luna, too. Go ahead and open it, dear." She handed Luna the package, which Luna looked at curiously for a moment and then began to open.

"Oh, you didn't have to get me anything…" Luna began in her usual dreamy voice, but once she started to see what was under the wrapping, her already large eyes widened even further, her mouth dropped open in surprise, and her eyes began to fill with tears. Finally, she pulled out a purple sweater with a letter "L" on it.

"A Weasley sweater?" choked Luna, putting it on and looking down at herself in near-shock. "You made me my very own Weasley sweater? Oh, I love this color!"

"Of course, dear," said Molly. "If you're important to Harry, you're important to me – to all of us, in fact. I want you to know that you're as much a part of this family as Harry is. He came to me when he needed someone who would be like a mum for him, and, well… I know I can't ever replace dear Pandora, and I'm not saying I would ever wish to, but… I'm here for you if you ever need somebody, too."

Harry could feel himself tearing up at this speech, and he suddenly realized how much he had wanted to hear it: Mrs. Weasley, the closest thing he had to a mother, was giving not only her approval but her blessing to his girlfriend. Luna, however, had been waiting even more intently for this moment, and bursting into tears, she threw her arms around Molly and received her embrace. Harry quickly rushed over to join the hug, but he wasn't the only one: Ginny followed him, followed by the twins, and finally Ron, who, despite his sullen mood and loathsome sweater, couldn't suppress a smile. Nearly buried in the center, Harry and Luna had only one collective thought: that they needed no further proof that they belonged together.

Late on Christmas Eve night – so late, in fact, that it was technically early Christmas morning – Luna strode purposefully into the guest room of The Rook. She was wearing only a blue-and-bronze Ravenclaw bathrobe, clutching her wand, and holding a rolled-up blanket under one arm and a large sleeping pad under the other. With her free hand, she silently nudged Harry awake, and as he sat upright and put his glasses on, he saw something in her mystical silver-blue eyes he'd never seen before: a wistful, hungry look. More than anything else, he realized, Luna looked vulnerable, as if she had just handed him her heart and said: This belongs to you now, but please be careful with it.

"Luna…" asked Harry, "What is it? Do… do you need something?"

"Yes," she said tenderly, twirling a lock of her hair with her finger. "I… I know I've always been the one to initiate things in this relationship. I kissed you first, I said I love you first… I guess, even though you're the brave Gryffindor, I'm the one who's always been most prepared to take a risk in love."

"We kissed because I said 'you're my girlfriend' back when you just said 'you're my friend'," Harry reminded her. "I took a bit of a risk there. And you said you loved me because I asked you about your mural. It seems to me we've always taken our risks together."

"Mmmm… Yes, I suppose we have," beamed Luna. "Harry, I've been with you just over a year, one wonderful year, and I've tossed this around my mind for a while, and well… I think it's time. No, I know it's time. If you're not ready, we'll wait, but if you are ready… I'd like to make love with you tonight, on the roof, under the stars, with the night wind blowing through our hair." She paused before continuing: "Um… Daddy's asleep, and I've cast a sleeping charm, so I can assure you he won't wake up until after we've come back down and gotten dressed in the morning. And don't worry, I know how to perform a contraception spell as well. Let's just say I did what Hermione would do in any given situation: some extracurricular reading."

"L-Luna," Harry stammered, "of-of course I'm ready, Luna, but… is this dishonest, though? Right on top of his own house?"

"Harry, the longer we're together, the more he'll suspect in the back of his mind that we've made love at some point." The expression on Luna's face had become more mischievous as she said this. "But we're the only ones who will ever know exactly when and where it first happened."

Harry's brain was struggling to keep up with his heart – although, buried under layers of sheets and pajamas, his todger had been the very first body part to recognize the situation at hand. "Why not use this bed?" he asked. "Or yours?"

"Because using a bed wouldn't be as memorable, now would it?" trilled Luna. "I want this bond to be permanent, so it needs to be like a ritual. We'll be all alone, and yet we'll have several million witnesses in the stars."

"I'm not sure I want Sirius to watch this," Harry quipped, climbing out of bed.

"Don't worry," grinned Luna, "The stars won't be able to see under the blanket. That part's only for us." She walked out of the guest room and up the spiral staircase, and Harry followed her.

On the day of Dumbledore's funeral, shortly after the service, Harry and Luna sat together under the exact same tree where they had first kissed. Normally, they would have used this time together to cuddle, but given the somber occasion, all either one really felt like doing was gazing silently toward the castle. Luna had her hand on Harry's shoulder, but he had his hands in his lap and wasn't touching her in response.

"Harry?" Luna asked gently. "Do you think maybe… there's more than meets the eye here? With Snape killing Dumbledore, I mean? You said he'd taken an Unbreakable Vow, after all. It was probably a vow that he'd do the deed if Draco couldn't bring himself to do it, but… who do you suppose he made it with?"

"He made it with Voldemort, I bet," Harry growled.

"Or with Dumbledore," pondered Luna. "Maybe Dumbledore suspected what was going on, and he wanted Snape to kill him if it came to this… so he could prevent Draco from having blood on his hands?"

Harry sighed. Had any other friend made this suggestion, he probably would have yelled at them, but Luna never failed to keep him soothed. "I don't know whose side Snape is on," he said. "He was a Death Eater, but he was also a spy… maybe at this point, he's on nobody's side but his own, and he's trying to manipulate them both to destroy each other. If that's the case, well, he must feel pretty confident in his abilities, because if he gets caught, either Voldemort will kill him or someone on our side will."

"Things are about to get very frightening, aren't they, Harry?" Luna asked in a near-whisper.

"Yes," Harry nodded and the couple fell back into silence. Eventually, Harry spoke again: "Luna, I haven't wanted to tell you this, but… you're not going to see me again for a long time."

"But… but…" Feeling a surge of shock and fear, Luna gripped Harry's shoulder even tighter. "No, please, you can't break up with me! Couples need each other the most in the very darkest moments! You can't let me go like this!"

Harry looked back toward his girlfriend, and reached his other arm across his chest to touch her hand. "This isn't a breakup," he said softly. "Luna, you mean too much for me to do that. You should know that, as my girlfriend, you will be in danger, and even if I wanted to break up with you, which I don't, it wouldn't take that danger away. They'd still know about your connection to me. But I know you can fight, because I've seen it. So promise me you'll stay as safe as you can, and if you need to, that you'll fight while I'm away from you."

"I promise," Luna smiled in relief, although tears were beginning to gather in her eyes. "But… where are you going?"

Harry looked around with another sigh. "I can't tell you much about it, because it's very dangerous, and if anybody tracks you down and captures you and gives you Veritaserum, I don't want you to be able to tell them anything that would put me in harm's way."

"But you're always in harm's way," Luna chuckled.

"I know," Harry chuckled back, "but I just want to take precautions. Still… I think you, of all people, deserve the truth. Dumbledore knew how to defeat Voldemort, and he needs me to finish the job. I don't know exactly where I'm going, but – suffice to say – I need to go collect some things. Things that… I need to find. That's all I can tell you."

"I see," whispered Luna before looking away from Harry and back toward the castle. "And what if I came with you?" she asked in her usual voice.

"You can't," Harry shook his head. "Ron and Hermione are already coming, and it needs to be them. I think Dumbledore wanted it to be them. We'll need to be very stealthy wherever we go, and we can only do that with a certain number of people. And I don't know how I know this, but something is telling me it has to be three. It's meant to be three. It's as if… something out there is waiting for us. It feels like two won't be enough and four will be too many."

"Do you think Snape knows what Dumbledore knew… about defeating Voldemort?" Luna asked. "Do you think he'll be looking for the same things you are?"

"I don't know," replied Harry. "If he is, I guess we'll cross paths with him sooner or later." Luna took her hand off his shoulder, and he briefly looked away from her before turning back and noticing that she was unfastening her cork necklace.

"If you're going to be out collecting things," she smiled, "you'll need to make sure they can't get stolen. Hold out your hand." Harry did so, and Luna set her necklace in it before closing his fingers around it with her palm. "You can keep that in your mokeskin pouch – the one that Hagrid gave you? I know the necklace won't keep away anything more dangerous than a Nargle, so it won't really be that useful to you, but it will…"

"It will remind me of you," Harry finished, and they both leaned in for a kiss, after which he rested his head in her lap, still clutching the cork necklace tightly in both hands. Harry didn't know what lay ahead, but he did know that this one last moment with Luna meant everything.

Some months afterward, Xeno was alone at home, working on the latest issue of The Quibbler in his office, when he heard the front door burst open. "Arthur? Molly?" he called. "Did you come by for more dirigible plums?" But, as became apparent as the uninvited guests entered his office, it was not the Weasleys who had stopped by to pay him a visit. Two masked Death Eaters, one tall and thin and the other shorter and stockier, stood in front of the desk where Xeno now sat, both aiming their wands at him. Xeno set his own wand down on his desk and stood up.

"There, you see," Xeno intoned in his airy, eloquent voice, "no need for hostilities. I am unarmed, I bear you no physical threat, I attempt no conflict, and so there is no need for you to kill me – unless, of course, you simply planned to do it for sport, and there's not much I can do about that. Ah, but perhaps you have instead come to destroy my printing press? I'm sure you've found The Quibbler very unflattering as of late…"

"Shut up," snapped the tall Death Eater. "Your rag isn't worth the trouble it would take to destroy it. But no, we're not here to kill you either. In fact, you'll be more help to us alive." Here the short Death Eater cut in: "And I think we've got something you find far more valuable than your paper."

Xeno's heart began to sink. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, you see…" said the short Death Eater, "we would have thought a rebellious journalist like yourself, who has surely made many enemies over the years, would have been a bit more careful about not putting his loved ones in the spotlight, especially when it's already public knowledge that his daughter is dating the oh-so-famous Harry Potter. But instead, right in the acknowledgements of every issue, you chose to write this." He picked up a copy of The Quibbler, opened it, and read mockingly: "Thanks as always to my daughter Luna, my own personal shining ray of moonlight, for her daily encouragement. I love you with all my heart. Touching – but rather stupid for a Ravenclaw. You gave away your weak spot, and long story short… we found her, we kidnapped her, and we're now holding her prisoner in Malfoy Manor."

"You're what?" Xeno gasped, his face turning white.

"Don't worry," hissed the tall Death Eater, "Old Lucius, and especially his wife, are a bit soft when it comes to treatment of hostages, so I can tell you that Miss Luna's unharmed… not that it wouldn't be fun to have our way with her. She's quite a beauty." He concluded this statement with a malicious, throaty chuckle that repulsed Xeno – although he sensed that the most unpleasant part of this conversation was yet to come.

"The girl is only valuable to us insofar as she is the boy's girlfriend," the short Death Eater interjected in a matter-of-fact tone. "If she can get us the boy, we have no need to keep her. And if you will set up an ambush and turn Harry Potter over to us… I assure you Luna will be released. You have our word… you see, we feel, as does Mr. Malfoy, that there is a certain nobility in being a Death Eater – unlike some of our more thuggish colleagues."

"Yes," snarled Xeno sarcastically, "it certainly took a great deal of nobility to kidnap a 17-year-old girl who is barely even a woman yet. Do you chaps think this is some sort of fairy tale, and that she will be your little damsel-in-distress? Bah! You know nothing of Luna! She is as brave as any Gryffindor, and you shall not break her fighter's spirit! And furthermore…" he paused before saying flatly, "I will not betray the boy my daughter loves. I suggest you leave at once."

The two Death Eaters looked at each other silently through their masks, and the taller one reached under his to scratch his chin thoughtfully. "You know, Selwyn…" he said to the other, "I've been thinking about this plan, and while I admire its efficiency and straightforwardness, I fear it's a bit too simplistic to convince Mr. Lovegood. Despite his sentimentality and gullibility, he is, after all, not a foolish man. No, for him, I think, the plan needs a bit more – what's the word – panache." Xeno suspected that the details of their plan had already been fully worked out, and that the Death Eaters were merely putting on a bit of theater for their own amusement.

"Oh?" Selwyn asked haughtily. "And what, pray tell, would give the plan more panache, Travers?"

"Well," said Travers, "Suppose Mr. Lovegood did turn Potter over. We'd free his daughter, of course, but first we'd tell her exactly what her dear sweet dad did – and then, well, she'd have to have a front-row seat to watch the Dark Lord's execution of the "Chosen One" Potter. I mean, as the dear boy's sweetheart, she'd be our guest of honor! What say you?"

"Hmm…" mused Selwyn. "No, I think Mr. Lovegood would find that distasteful, and he would refuse the idea even more. Although… what would happen if he didn't agree to our plan?"

Travers let out another throaty chuckle, before continuing: "Well, if he doesn't cooperate, then we'll just take him to his daughter right now, and then kill her in front of him. Ah, but first – right before we kill her – we'll tell her that we've killed Harry Potter. That will be a lie, of course, but she'll die thinking it's the truth. And for the rest of his life, Mr. Lovegood's last memory of his daughter will be her bawling her eyes out over the boyfriend she thought was dead."

"Marvelous!" Selwyn exclaimed. "Although… mightn't Mr. Lovegood spot a loophole? Mightn't he say he'll cooperate, only to write someone a letter or write an article in his magazine saying Help, I'm being blackmailed?"

"He might, but then we'd just kill his daughter anyway, now wouldn't we?" Travers asked. Xeno had long since lost the ability to keep standing; he had staggered backward to the wall and was now sitting on the floor, gazing up through teary eyes at the Death Eaters on the other side of his desk. He was horrified and disgusted by both options, and by the way in which the Death Eaters had talked as if he wasn't even there – and yet he had to admit, they'd thought of everything. His earlier spirit of resistance was failing him, along with his Ravenclaw wit.

"You… you aren't even human; you're monsters!" Xeno cried. "Don't you know I am a widower? Luna is all I have left in my family!" But what about Harry? A voice implored in the back of his head. Isn't he practically your family now, too?

"Oh, we're well aware of that," sneered Selwyn. "In fact, that's precisely why we thought you'd go along with this."

"No… no…" whimpered Xeno, hoping this was all a nightmare, "I can't bear to lose her… she may hate me for the rest of her life, and I don't know if she can even stand to lose Harry… and everyone will know that I was the one who betrayed him… but I know I'm not strong enough to lose her." He finally caught his breath and resigned himself to the unthinkable. "I will agree to your plan, but I do it with no ounce of happiness."

"We don't care about your happiness, Mr. Lovegood," said Selwyn casually, as though this were an everyday conversation for him. "We just want Harry Potter, and you're the man who can give him to us. We shall return soon with further details of what you are to do. Farewell." Once the Death Eaters had left the house, Xeno buried his face in his hands and cried. He had never felt so weak or cowardly, and he did not wish to think about what Pandora would have said to him at that moment. Most of all, however, he supplicated Luna in his mind: Forgive me, moonbeam. I did not wish for things to come to this.

Some months later, after the ambush at The Rook and the escape from Malfoy Manor, Harry and Luna were at Shell Cottage, sitting in front of Dobby's grave. Harry had his hands in his lap, while Luna tightly clutched her arm around his waist – partly out of a protective desire, partly so that she could draw from his strength. They were no longer a boy and a girl by this point, but were now a young man and a young woman, listening to waves crashing and seagulls calling nearby as the coastal winds blew their hair back. There was one thing that had been foremost in Luna's mind ever since Harry and Dobby had freed her from Malfoy's dungeons (although she had certainly proven Xeno correct by leaping immediately into the fight once she had been freed) – and she felt it was time to finally vocalize it.

"Harry, please," Luna said weakly, "if you truly love me… don't hate my father for what he did when he was desperate. He's the entire reason why you're my boyfriend at all; when I was little, he told me what to look for when I was older, and he said, 'Somehow you'll just know'. And he constantly told me that you were everything he had ever wanted me to find in a boyfriend. It must have torn his heart apart to have you sitting there, in his house, while he knew the whole time what was coming. Please don't hate him."

Harry remained silent for a minute or two before speaking: "He told me the first time I met him that he was afraid of something like this – and I thought something seemed off about him the day we were ambushed, although it was hard to tell. He's even harder to read than you are, Luna. I admit, I did feel angry – but I pushed the anger aside, because I was as concerned as he was, and finding you became my first priority. I've learned that parents – especially those with only one child – will often do things they would have called 'unthinkable' once they feel they've been pushed to the very edge. It's why my dad confronted Voldemort the night he died, even though he knew he couldn't possibly win. Dad hated the Dark Arts, and he hated the Death Eaters, but I don't think he believed he'd ever actually fight Voldemort himself until it happened. Your dad knew he'd do anything to keep you safe, because you were all he had left, and the Death Eaters called his bluff. Dumbledore told me once that this is what Voldemort does: he sees love as a weakness, and he takes advantage of people by exploiting their love. I can only imagine how horribly your dad must have been threatened – and I can't hate him, Luna, because he loves you, and you love him, and I love him, and I believe he loves me. It makes no sense to hate somebody who acted out of love."

Harry's monologue had caused Luna to break into one of the biggest smiles he had ever seen – almost as big as the time when he first told her he wanted to be her boyfriend. "We'll see him again when this is all over, Harry," said Luna, her silver-blue eyes gleaming. "We'll all make it back to each other, and he'll be so glad to be forgiven, and it'll all be back to how it was. We'll all fix up the house together, and I'll repaint my murals… we just need to make it through this. It's like I said to you after Dumbledore's funeral: 'couples need each other the most in the very darkest moments' – which, incidentally, is also something Daddy told me."

Harry nodded. "Your father is a very wise man, Luna – and might I add, he raised a very wise young woman. How I didn't notice you in my first four years, I'll never know."

"Mmmm… I suppose you just weren't ready for me yet," mused Luna. "Had you met me earlier, you might not have thought I was special. We would probably still have been friends, but we might have missed out on being together. I think you met me exactly when you needed to: no later, no sooner. But maybe… if we were always meant for each other… this was how it was going to be regardless of when we met." Harry raised one of his hands up to touch Luna's cheek, and the couple shared a long kiss, something that now felt like second nature to both of them.

"Well," said Harry, after they parted, "I suppose there is one way to know for sure… I haven't done this in a while… I've actually been wondering what would happen…" He pulled his wand out, but before he could do anything, Luna put her hand on it and pulled out her own wand. In her own inscrutable way, she seemed to already know what he was thinking.

"Wait…" she said in the dreamy voice that Harry loved more than any other voice in the world. "Let's do it together… after all, you're the one who taught me how to do this." Harry nodded, and each thinking of the kiss they had just shared, he and Luna raised their wands, aimed them at the shore, and cried, "Expecto Patronum!"

A spectral stag and hare went bounding down through the grass and across the sand dunes, crossing each other's path repeatedly, and continued into the ocean until they finally dissolved in the waves. They would have been just like any other Patronuses they had ever sent, except for one thing: the stag had come from Luna's wand, and the hare had come from Harry's. "They changed…" he gasped as Luna held him even tighter. "They both changed…"

"Come on, Harry," smiled Luna. "Let's go down to the shore and watch the sunset together. Voldemort can't take that away from us – and besides, I suspect some Gulping Plimpies are going to show up after the sun goes down, and I want to see if we can finally catch one." Harry let go of Luna, and she stood up and began walking away. Harry stood as well, but he did not move yet, choosing instead to simply watch the dazzling young woman who was the undisputed center of his world.

Somehow you'll just know, he thought. That's what your dad said – and even though he didn't know me then, he might as well have been talking to me, because somehow I just knew, too.

And on that day, Harry Potter once again followed Luna Lovegood – as he knew he always would, wherever she happened to go.